Squat: technique and back position

The squat and spine position

Squatting demands, first of all, a strong back position. One of the most important factors to keep in mind when you squat is the position of your spine. It is extremely important that you do not collapse forward during the squat. That quickly leads to problems in both the upper and lower back. The back must stay arched, and you have to maintain that position through every phase of the squat; then the risk of injury is practically nonexistent. So-called rounding, or letting the back curve, is even more common on the way up out of the squat than on the way down, and the lifters who make this mistake are the ones who keep passing on the myth that “squats are bad for your back.”

What is more, keeping the back arched is essential for maintaining the combined center of gravity. The further you lean forward or, worse, let your back round, the more tension the erector spinae are forced to bear and the less the abdominal muscles take part in the squat. The more you lean forward or, so to speak, cave in through the back, the greater the shear forces the spine is subjected to (a high risk of injury). Correct spine position ensures that, although forces do act on the vertebral column, they act straight on it and place compressive forces on the spine and its vertebrae that are natural in character. The spine is in its natural position, and with correct positioning the forces acting on it do not twist it in unnatural directions.

Another reason you should definitely squat below parallel is that during the squat the sacrum goes through a so-called rocking movement, or shift (the sacrum tilts forward relative to the two iliac bones). The sacroiliac joint forms between the two iliac bones and the sacrum. When you squat only down to parallel, this joint stays in its original position, which prevents the erector spinae and the gluteus maximus and gluteus minimus from kicking in properly as assisting muscles during the squat. When you squat below parallel, the joint goes through its maximum shift and makes it possible to recruit all the assisting muscles and the muscles carrying the main load to the maximum.

“Squats are bad for your back” is therefore talk from lifters with weak legs and weak minds. Just as squatting with poor technique can naturally cause injuries and problems, so can a barbell biceps curl. The squat can indeed be harmful among untrained lifters with poor technique, who constantly lean far forward from the back, whereas informed, trained athletes who maintain correct body position while squatting have reported only very minimal upper-body complaints caused by the squat (1). It has been successfully demonstrated that keeping the upper body as upright as possible during the squat reduces both the shear and compressive forces on the spine (2). Studies have confirmed that powerlifters experience considerably less back pain and fewer injuries than other athletes, which speaks volumes: programs that include the squat are, if anything, beneficial for injury prevention (3, 4).

Taking the barbell onto your upper back, its placement and the spot where it sits matter a great deal in the squat. If the barbell sits higher on the trapezius, closer to the neck, the emphasis falls more on the quadriceps; a low position, with the barbell on the lower trapezius and back, brings more of the lower back and the biceps femoris into the squat. With the lower placement, a moment of back extension inevitably arises: the lower on the back the barbell sits, the more you have to lean forward to maintain your center of gravity. Even if you use the high position, the barbell should never sit right on the neck. The cervical spine is not “designed” to carry that kind of weight.

If you use a lower barbell position (especially powerlifters), the barbell should not sit lower than approx. 3 cm below the tip of the front of the deltoid. An ordinary squatter who squats lightly once a week, doing two or three sets, should take comfort into account when taking the barbell onto the upper back and choosing a suitable position, but finding the right and comfortable position takes a long time.

Once you have taken the barbell onto your upper back and “seated” yourself under it in the correct position, you need to put your hands on the barbell too. Placing the hands as close to the body as possible, not very wide, is considered a good option. This lets you maintain a slight tension and stability in the upper back during the squat, and with a narrower grip the chance of the barbell slipping off is also considerably smaller. The general rule for hand spacing in the squat, however, is this: the lower on the back the barbell is taken, the wider the hands are placed on the barbell. Any pads, towels and so on, whatever is wrapped around the barbell (to make it softer and less painful on the upper back), end up between the barbell and the lifter and reduce friction, increasing the chance of the barbell sliding off. Quite literally to prevent injuries, all such “cushioning” is banned in competitions. Such padding also raises the squatter’s center of gravity, which makes it harder to keep your balance with heavy training loads.

While squatting, look forward and slightly up; this prevents the upper back from rounding. The squat movement is initiated first from the hips, pushing the butt back, not down. Pushing the butt back is exactly what helps keep the shins as vertical as possible. When you start the squat, the descent, you should also try to keep the torso as vertical as possible, keep directing the butt and hips back, and let the knees move out to the sides. You must definitely try to avoid letting the knees cave inward. The way, or technique, in which the squatter performs the lowering phase significantly affects how you come back up. Once the required depth is reached, you begin to come back up. The ascent starts by pushing the head back, and you must also keep concentrating on pushing the knees outward.

One big and fairly common mistake, made in the squat as well as in other exercises, is incorrect breathing. You should breathe in as you lower yourself and breathe out as you rise from the squat. Experienced, seasoned squatters take several deep breaths before descending and hold their breath on the way down. Coming up out of the squat, from roughly the so-called dead point, they exhale forcefully. This technique is known as the “partial Valsalva,” and mastering it properly takes a lot of practice.

There are many squat variations, but all of them are secondary to the basic squat, which is often called the king of all exercises.

The front squat is performed much like a regular squat, but the barbell sits in front, resting on the chest and front deltoid muscles rather than on the collarbones. The hands grip the barbell slightly wider than shoulder width, and the elbows should be raised as high as possible; this lets you keep the barbell position high and stable. A high elbow position and a stable barbell position allow the squatter to keep the torso as vertical as possible, which puts more of the load on the gluteal muscle and reduces lower-back involvement. The front squat is a good squat variation for improving flexibility and for helping you reach the depth that a regular deep squat demands, but that many squatters can’t reach because of limited flexibility. The front squat puts more stress on the quadriceps muscle, isolates it more and does not involve the biceps femoris muscle as much (7, 5).

When comparing the squat with other leg exercises, it is important to note that the squat loads the knee joint with considerably lower compressive forces than the leg press or the leg extension, and it also recruits the biceps femoris muscle considerably more than those exercises do (6).

To be continued…

References

1. McLaughlin, T.M., Lardner, T.J., and Dillman, C.J. 1978. Kinetics of the parallel squat. Research Quarterly. 49(2):175-189.

2. Garhammer, J. 1989. Weight lifting and Weight Training. In: Biomechanics of Sport, chapter 5, C.L. Vaughan, ed. Boca Raton FL: CRC Press. Pp. 169-211.

3. Granhed, H. and Morelli, B. 1988. Low back pain among retired wrestlers and heavyweight lifters. American journal of Sports Medicine. 16(5):530-533.

4. Kulund, D.N., Dewey, J.B., Brubaker, C.E., and Roberts, J.R. 1978. Olympic Weightlifting Injuries. Physician and Sports Medicine. 6(11):111-119.

5. A preliminary comparison of front and back squat exercises [see comments] Russell PJ; Phillips SJ Res Q Exerc Sport, 60(3):201-8 1989 Sep.

6. J Biomech 1998 Oct;31(10):963-7 An analytical model of the knee for estimation of internal forces during exercise. Zheng N, Fleisig GS, Escamilla RF, Barrentine SW.

7 Chandler TJ and Stone MH. (1991) The squat exercise in athletic conditioning: a review of the literature. NSCA Journal. 13(5): 58-60.

Author: Janar Rückenberg (translation)

Source:Turg.Fitness.ee

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